"JaMarcus Russell sure fit the NFL prototype for a quarterback.

Great size, arm like a howitzer, mobile and athletic. He was too good to be true.

Of course, you know what they say about something being too good to be true.

The Oakland Raiders released Russell on Thursday, ending an embarrassing three-year reign of error.

With Jason Campbell on board via a trade with the Washington Redskins, the Raiders didn't need Russell anymore. But even if Campbell never came to Oakland, it was time for Russell to go.

It usually takes three years to find out if a player has it or not, so Russell had ample time to prove he could play. Guess what? He can't play.

So it's now official. Russell is one of the biggest busts in NFL history.

That is hardly an exclusive group. If I had a dollar for every college prospect deemed the next big thing that ended up being an NFL flop, I'd be as rich as Russell, who stole $39 million during his three-year, seven-win tenure with the Raiders.

NFL teams just never learn. They keep getting hung up on the measurables of a man instead of the intangibles in the man.

I watched a lot of Russell's games at LSU, and believe me when I tell you that he did nothing to suggest that he would make anyone forget about Peyton Manning. Or Eli Manning, for that matter.

Russell, a cousin of Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch, wasn't even a serious pro prospect until his junior year when he earned first-team All-Southeastern Conference. But he catapulted to the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft after a MVP performance in the Sugar Bowl, where he gained 350 yards passing and rushing with three touchdowns in a 41-14 beatdown of an overrated Notre Dame squad."